Meredith May’s book on her early childhood years and learning to cope with loss, family and finding meaning is told through her experience with her grandfather and his love for bees. Along the way the author falls in love with bees and learns valuable lessons about family, caring, growth and community that enable her to be resilient in a family that has experienced much loss. Narrated through a child’s perspective, the story captures the reader’s interest through experiencing the protagonist’s growth. It is a slower book that may not carry the same meaning for readers who have not grown up with the loss of parents, yet the lessons that Meredith experiences and shares are available to all her readers. All readers will gain a more in-depth understanding of Meredith’s struggles as well as gaining a greater insight into the lives and work of bees. I know understand bees and their roles much better which is important given their critical role in pollinating our plants and food!
Per Peggy’s comments, the author recounts her childhood growing up in a dysfunctional family setting. However, she has a strong bond with her grandfather who is loving and supportive. He is a beekeeper, who teaches her about bees. Their work together provides some stability and purpose in her sometimes chaotic home life. This book could offer perspectives on growing up in a challenging home environment impacted by mental illness, the positive influence of nature for children, the importance of bees and the stress on bee populations currently being experienced.
I enjoyed reading this book, which movingly narrates the author’s experience growing up with a shockingly dysfunctional mother and a grandfather who steps in to provide incredible parenting. I learned a lot about bees along the way. Although I don’t think this book is suitable for the Campus Reading Program, I do recommend it to committee members.
This book was a great read as a memoir, and as mentioned above, focuses on childhood, divorce, parental mental illness, domestic abuse, and family relationships, alongside the bees. Although the reader learns a lot of fascinating things about bees along the way, the environmental impact theme emerges closer to the end of the book. It’s also a little bit longer than our 300-page limit. As noted above, it links to some specific themes pertinent to some departments, but it may have limited relevance in terms of broad cross-campus engagement.
Meredith May’s book on her early childhood years and learning to cope with loss, family and finding meaning is told through her experience with her grandfather and his love for bees. Along the way the author falls in love with bees and learns valuable lessons about family, caring, growth and community that enable her to be resilient in a family that has experienced much loss. Narrated through a child’s perspective, the story captures the reader’s interest through experiencing the protagonist’s growth. It is a slower book that may not carry the same meaning for readers who have not grown up with the loss of parents, yet the lessons that Meredith experiences and shares are available to all her readers. All readers will gain a more in-depth understanding of Meredith’s struggles as well as gaining a greater insight into the lives and work of bees. I know understand bees and their roles much better which is important given their critical role in pollinating our plants and food!
Per Peggy’s comments, the author recounts her childhood growing up in a dysfunctional family setting. However, she has a strong bond with her grandfather who is loving and supportive. He is a beekeeper, who teaches her about bees. Their work together provides some stability and purpose in her sometimes chaotic home life. This book could offer perspectives on growing up in a challenging home environment impacted by mental illness, the positive influence of nature for children, the importance of bees and the stress on bee populations currently being experienced.
I enjoyed reading this book, which movingly narrates the author’s experience growing up with a shockingly dysfunctional mother and a grandfather who steps in to provide incredible parenting. I learned a lot about bees along the way. Although I don’t think this book is suitable for the Campus Reading Program, I do recommend it to committee members.
This book was a great read as a memoir, and as mentioned above, focuses on childhood, divorce, parental mental illness, domestic abuse, and family relationships, alongside the bees. Although the reader learns a lot of fascinating things about bees along the way, the environmental impact theme emerges closer to the end of the book. It’s also a little bit longer than our 300-page limit. As noted above, it links to some specific themes pertinent to some departments, but it may have limited relevance in terms of broad cross-campus engagement.